


we lay for years or for hours, so long we become the flowers

by mechup



Category: Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Other, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24943612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mechup/pseuds/mechup
Summary: Narvin can’t sleep.
Relationships: Narvin/Romana II
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	we lay for years or for hours, so long we become the flowers

**Author's Note:**

> title from the song In a Week by Hozier

He can’t sleep. If Leela and Brax were here or if he at least knew they were safe then it might be different — and _that_ is an odd thought to have, but it only makes sense considering they fled Gallifrey together and have now been to several other alternate Gallifreys — but he has no way of knowing whether or not they’re okay. He’s never been dependent on others before, not on a personal level like this, and it’s only a result of the circumstances but he’s grown to trust them even despite constantly reminding himself of all the reasons why he shouldn’t.

He’d almost dare to call them friends, if he didn’t know they’d resent him thinking of them that way.

He tosses and turns in the hope that he’ll be able to fall unconscious, then turns onto his back and glances at Romana. He has to squint to see her in the dark but she’s facing away from him on the bed across from his, and she’s _alive_. This knowledge helps him feel a little better and he sighs loudly, wishing he wasn’t so tense about this kind of thing. 

“ _Narvin_ ,” Romana says, sounding very annoyed. It makes him gasp in alarm, startledly sitting up before he realizes who the voice is coming from. She turns so she’s facing him. “Shut up.”

“I’m... sorry?” he asks, his hearts returning to normal speed now that he knows no one has broken into the room.

“ _How_ am I expected to get any sleep if you spend the whole night making all that racket?” she asks, and it occurs to him that he must have been making an awful lot of noise as he tried to fall asleep. He had probably even woken her up. 

“I didn’t mean to disrupt you,” he says, feeling bad especially considering she doesn’t normally sleep much. “I’ll be quiet.”

He hears the sound of her moving and then a click as she turns on the light, and she sits up. He blinks a few times so his eyes can adjust to the brightness and he notices her looking at him like she’s trying to figure something out.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, sitting up and folding her leg over the other.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” he counters, because he does _not_ want to have this conversation, especially not with her. He’s certain she doesn’t actually care about him, she’s told him on multiple occasions she doesn’t, so why should she care beyond not wanting to be kept awake?

“Because I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re acting differently,” she says, which takes him by surprise. It’s true, he and Romana _have_ known each other for a while, but he hadn’t thought she ever really noticed anything about him. “And you look awful.”

“Thanks,” he replies, laughing mostly in surprise at her comment. Sure, he might have had dark circles under his eyes ever since Leela and Brax had to leave them, but he didn’t think it was _that_ bad. “It’s nothing to worry about, Romana. Go back to sleep.”

“While you stay up because of whatever’s bothering you? I don’t think so.” She crosses her arms and he looks away, knowing he isn’t going to be able to lie to her.

“I don’t get much sleep anyway,” he tries, but he can feel the demanding heat of her gaze even though he’s not even facing her, and he cracks. “I’m just frightened. Leela and Brax have been gone for days and we have no way of finding out if they’re going to come back. For all we know, they could already be—”

“This is _Leela_ and _Brax_ we’re talking about,” she interrupts, because they’re two of the most capable people Romana has ever met. She understands how he feels because the same thoughts have gone through her head, but she trusts them to come back in one piece. 

“Well, yes, but something could still happen to them. I don’t know what I’d do if—” He cuts himself off, not willing to admit to his affection. 

“So you _do_ have a pair of hearts.” He looks sheepish and he sees something change in her expression before she begins to stand up. “And that’s the only reason why you haven’t been sleeping?”

“Yes.” He nods and she turns off the light and moves to his bed, climbing under the covers next to him. She keeps her space but she’s still close enough that her presence instantly relaxes him. “What... what are you doing?”

“Helping you sleep,” she answers, as if it’s that simple. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t also need this, but she isn’t going to tell him that. “If you don’t have any objections, I’ll be staying here for the rest of the night.”

He could tell her no, this is a ridiculous idea, she should go back to her own bed and they’ll never speak of this again, but he lays back down despite everything in him telling him he shouldn’t. He feels out of place, awkwardly shifting to find a comfortable position, and almost laughs because past him would be absolutely horrified if he saw him now. He used to despise her and it’s Darkel’s fault he changed his mind about her, but he wishes he knew when he began feeling this _fondness_. 

But that’s a thought for another day (or alternatively, never) so he squashes it down and out of his mind. He sighs, wondering how he possibly got into this situation. 

“Goodnight, Romana.”

“Goodnight, Narvin.”

She offers him a smile he can barely see in the dark, and he doesn’t remember closing his eyes but he wakes up having slept better than he can ever remember. It takes him a span to remember Romana’s there with him but once he does, there’s no way to miss it. He’s managed to wrap both arms around her, holding her in a way that could be seen as a hug, and she’s ended up with her head resting on his shoulder. He’s never particularly noticed her hair before but it glimmers underneath the light of one of the rising suns, and is one of the most breathtaking sights he’s ever seen. 

It doesn’t occur to him to move away and put distance between them, and instead he closes his eyes again, feeling properly content.


End file.
